December 17th, 2021

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the “Make Energy Affordable Act” this week, looking to uncover the connection between a year of President Biden’s attacks on the domestic energy industry and the price increases that Americans are feeling every day.

Politically misguided decisions like canceling the Keystone XL pipeline permits, banning oil and gas leases on Federal lands, including a methane tax in the BBB plan (plan B was reportedly a carbon tax), and exploring the reinstatement of an export ban on crude oil and liquid natural gas have taken a toll on American families by fueling inflation across all categories — especially energy. We are feeling the impact of the “Biden Bill” every day in the form of increased grocery bills, expensive gasoline, and higher utility bills.

Rep. Carter’s common sense bill will define the problems created by the Biden Administration, with the end goal of setting the stage for common sense energy solutions to relieve the burden Americans are feeling currently.

The Bottom Line: Easing the pain of high energy prices and inflation starts with identifying what’s causing it. That’s what Rep. Carter’s “Make Energy Affordable Act” seeks to do.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently tried to blame energy companies for the high costs her constituents are struggling to afford as they pay their utility bills. Energy groups were quick to push back and highlight that her party’s “green at all costs” agenda is more likely to blame. With a history of canceling and/or restricting permits for regional pipelines in the northeast, the environmental left has inhibited access to clean domestic supplies even from nearby Pennsylvania, America’s second largest producer of natural gas.

Reducing supply doesn’t change the fact that people still need to heat their homes, so how did Massachusetts meet the demand? As recently as 2018, the answer was Russian liquid natural gas imports. Yes, you read that correctly. It serves as a solid talking point for winning approval amongst radical environmentalists like Greta Thunberg and AOC, but is the global environment actually cleaner when countries with inferior environmental records have to ramp up production to meet U.S. demand as we restrict our own clean, domestic sources? No, because the demand for fossil fuel isn’t going anywhere.

With more than half of Massachusetts homes reliant on natural gas for heating, common sense policies should encourage clean domestic production to meet that demand.

The Bottom Line: Senator Warren is embarrassing herself by blaming the American oil and gas industry for high prices, when her own brand of politics is the reason her home state relies on Russian natural gas to survive.

Unseasonably warm weather seems to have brought an early Christmas present to the Biden Administration as they look for a “holiday break” from owning skyrocketing energy prices and inflation.

Gas and heating prices dipped over the last week as higher than expected temperatures reduced demand for natural gas to heat homes. This allows the country to gradually rebuild depleted reserves ahead of an anticipated cold winter. Lower fuel prices should also be welcome news to those planning to drive or fly over the holidays.

Secretary Granholm’s governance based on hope seems to have paid off this time, but we all know it’s not a long term winning strategy.

The Bottom Line: President Biden (and his pollster) is breathing a sigh of relief, as unseasonably warm temperatures are causing a dip in natural gas demand, allowing producers to stabilize supply and keep prices down (for now).

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Programming note: This will be the last standard edition of Common Sense Energy before our Christmas break. We will resume our regular schedule on January 7th, 2022. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at The Empowerment Alliance!